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WORLD NEWSTuesday 8 December 2015
Venezuela: CARIBBEAN
Opposition wins Congress, aims for supermajority News Briefs
JOSHUA GOODMAN ers to accept Sunday’s re- amnesty for opponents vered by the poor as their Top finisher in Haiti
HANNAH DREIER sults, even as he recalled jailed during last year’s “invincible commander.” election complains
Associated Press the long history of US- protests, putting food on It was also a major blow to about fraud claims
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) supported coups in Latin the table is the priority for Latin America’s left, which
— Venezuela’s opposi- America and blamed the most Venezuelans. gained power in the wake PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)
tion, still rejoicing from its “circumstantial” loss on a “The opposition needs of Chavez’s ascent but has — The leading candidate
shock triumph in legislative right-wing “counterrevolu- to accept this with a lot struggled more recently in the disputed first round
elections, is now waiting of Haiti’s presidential vote
anxiously for the final tally Opposition leaders, from left to right, Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader says critics aren’t providing
to see whether it secured evidence to back up their
a two-thirds supermajor- Leopoldo Lopez, Freddy Guevara, of the Voluntad Popular party, Jesus Torrealba, head of allegations of “massive
ity that could dramatically fraud.” Haiti’s Provisional
wrest power from Presi- the Democratic Unity Movement (MUD) party and deputy Julio Borges celebrate in Caracas, Electoral Council says Jo-
dent Nicolas Maduro after venel Moise received 33
17 years of socialist rule. Venezuela, early Monday, Dec. 7, 2015. Venezuela’s opposition won control of the National percent of the vote. The
The Democratic Unity op- government-backed can-
position alliance declared Assembly by a landslide on Sunday, delivering a major setback to the ruling party and altering didate received 117,602
Monday that it won the votes more than second-
minimum number of seats the balance of power after 17 years of socialist rule. (AP Photo/Alejandro Cegarra) place finisher Jude Celes-
needed to initiate a pro- tin. Moise asserted Monday
cess to remove Maduro. tion” trying to sabotage of humility,” said political in the face of a region- that people have been
But despite the efficiency Venezuela’s oil-depen- consultant Francisco Mar- wide economic slowdown making baseless accusa-
and transparency prom- dent economy and desta- quez, who managed one and voter fatigue in some tions of electoral fraud. He
ised by the country’s elec- bilize the government. of the winning opposition countries with rampant says there were problems
tronic voting system, the “I can say today that the campaigns. “This was a corruption. with the first round, “but you
National Electoral Council economic war has tri- punishment vote and we Last month, Argentines can’t discredit the whole
has yet to announce the umphed,” said Maduro, will need to show people rejected the chosen suc- process.” Celestin and sev-
results of 22 undecided who was surrounded by that we’re up to the task.” cessor of President Cristina en other candidates have
races almost a full day af- top socialist leaders in the Voting Sunday was mostly Fernandez, herself a close formed an alliance and
ter polls closed. presidential palace as he peaceful, though several Chavez ally, turning in- assert that the vote and
The opposition coalition mostly pulled phrases from ruling party governors, in- stead to the relatively con- ballot-count were far too
won at least 99 seats in the stump speech he had cluding Chavez’s brother servative mayor of Buenos problematic to be legiti-
the incoming 167-seat been delivering before the Adan, were videotaped Aires. And In Brazil, Presi- mate. They are calling for
legislature, electoral au- election. braving boos and insults as dent Dilma Rousseff is bat- a transitional government
thorities announced after Hardliners in the opposi- they entered polling cen- tling impeachment over a to oversee new elections
midnight Sunday, setting tion seemed similarly en- ters. Turnout was a stunning corruption scandal in her unless changes are made
off a cacophony of car trenched, preferring to talk 74 percent, the highest for long-ruling Workers’ Party. before a scheduled Dec.
honks and fireworks in the about ending Maduro’s a parliamentary election Maduro had repeat- 27 runoff.
capital’s wealthier eastern rule before his term ends in since Chavez ended com- edly vowed to defend
neighborhoods. The ruling 2019 rather than resolving pulsory voting in the 1990s. Chavez’s legacy in the Advocates say Haiti
Socialist party and its allies Venezuela’s triple-digit in- The scale of the politi- streets if his party lost, but needs debate about
won 46 seats. flation, plunging currency cal earthquake was such he softened his tone in his risks of gold mining
The opposition coalition and the widespread short- that socialists lost even initial post-election com-
needs 13 of the 22 unde- ages expected to worsen in Chavez’s home state ments. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)
cided races to give it the in January as businesses of Barinas, where Adan Reining in Maduro, who — A new report by legal
supermajority needed to close for the summer va- Chavez is one of several became president after experts says Haiti risks envi-
sack Supreme Court jus- cation. family members holding Chavez died in 2013, will ronmental havoc and hu-
tices, initiate a referendum Some opposition figures high office. In the capi- be tough. He still has a man rights violations if gold
to revoke Maduro’s man- caution that the result has tal, the opposition won near-complete grip on all mining proceeds in the im-
date and even convoke more to do with anger at by almost 20 percentage other branches of gov- poverished country. Haiti’s
an assembly to rewrite Venezuela’s woes than an points, even prevailing ernment and state insititu- mineral extraction indus-
Hugo Chavez’s 1999 con- embrace of the opposi- in the emblematic 23rd tions, and may be able to try has been largely dor-
stitution. tion. While even moder- of January slum where a outflank a hostile congress mant since the 1970s. But
Even if the opposition falls ates pledged to use their mausoleum holds the re- when it convenes next mining has been seen as
short, the landslide could new leverage to pass an mains of Chavez, who is re- month.q a potential new resource
unleash intense politi- of revenue and jobs since
cal battles. Since the late Haiti’s 2010 earthquake.
Chavez swept into power, The report says discussions
the opposition has never about mining have largely
held a branch of govern- taken place behind closed
ment. doors. It calls for a public
Both sides are more ac- debate about risks and
customed to hurling insults benefits.
than negotiating across It says the next Haitian gov-
the country’s vast political ernment should implement
divide, and a protracted “preventive measures to
power struggle could rip avoid future human rights
apart an economic and abuses and environmental
social fabric already in tat- harm.”q
ters.
Maduro urged his support-
